Somewhere on the edge of the earth on the coast of the endless Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by exotic flowers, the happy residents of Portugal wake up every day to the singing of birds of paradise. This small European country hosts the most colorful fairs and festivals and still venerates centuries-old traditions. Local women in traditional costumes with baskets on their heads walk along its narrow winding streets, past bright houses. Today, Portugal is considered the most visited European country in the world. Every year, it attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world with its ancient architecture: medieval castles, majestic monasteries, luxurious royal palaces, grand cathedrals, as well as original museums, shops, and gigantic bridges. There is also another, pristine part of Portugal, full of charming floral valleys, green hills, fast-flowing rivers, and fantastic waterfalls in the rocky mountains.

The real treasures of Portugal, priceless nature`s masterpieces, are hidden in national parks. For example, in one of the most amazing parts of the country – Guadiana Valley Natural Park.

The park covers an area of about 700 square kilometers in the south-east of Portugal, in the Beja District, near a small village called Mertola. Founded in 1995, Guadiana Valley Natural Park is one of the thirty natural areas protected by the state. The park houses the small town of Castro Verde and is located just a few kilometers away from the civilized modern city of Beja (if you suddenly miss the city attractions).

This magnificent natural park is a real kingdom of pristine nature. There are many wild animals and birds, including such rare species as dormouse, bittern, Eurasian eagle-owl, and quoll. Eucalyptus, pine, and evergreen oaks grow on the green hills, and wild grasses and the rare four-leaf clover – in the prairie.